For our seventh monthly public domain night, Internet Archive will hosted a screening of His Girl Friday (1940), starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell.

This video is a recording of an introductory lecture to the film by Simone Elias, author of the upcoming book Old Films, New Eyes: A Teenage Take on Golden Age Hollywood.

This legendary screwball film, centered on two divorced quick-talking reporters in Chicago, which according to the American Film Institute, is one of the top comedies of the 20th century.

His Girl Friday is defined as a 1940s “working girl film”, as it centers on Rosalind Russell, a reporter about to marry and retire. Her character was based on the “legendary girl reporter” Adela Rogers St. Johns.

Her ex-husband, played by Cary Grant, desperately tries to get her to stay, and many hilarious beats follow, involving scenes with a fugitive and a life insurance policy.

Howard Hawks, the film’s director, intentionally displays his aversion to family, home, and domesticity, in his portrayal of Rosalind Russell’s character, a wise-cracking reporter with journalistic career experience.

The movie is a fun, fast-moving, engaging watch.

The film can be watched on the Internet Archive Here.

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